Many tough decisions deferred for 2 years

Delegates to a U.N. summit approved an ambitious plan Friday to deliver Internet and other technologies to the world's poorest regions but it lacked definition and monetary muscle. Many of the tough decisions were deferred for two years, when the World Summit on the Information Society holds its second act in Tunisia. The gathering was far from a wash, however, for the hundreds of tech bootstrappers who got a chance to network and trade ideas. "It's like a family reunion," said Derrick Cogburn, a University of Michigan information studies professor who brought four students. By a voice vote Friday, representatives from about 175 countries, including more than 40 heads of state, approved a statement of principles and an action plan calling for deeply extending Internet and other communications into the developing world by 2015. Delegates to a U.N. summit approved an ambitious plan Friday to deliver Internet and other technologies to the world's poorest regions but it lacked definition and monetary muscle. advertisement Many of the tough decisions were deferred for two years, when the World Summit on the Information Society holds its second act in Tunisia. The gathering was far from a wash, however, for the hundreds of tech bootstrappers who got a chance to network and trade ideas. By a voice vote Friday, representatives from about 175 countries, including more than 40 heads of state, approved a statement of principles and an action plan calling for deeply extending Internet and other communications into the developing world by 2015. Negotiators could not agree on key questions such as whether a U.N. agency should be created to govern the Internet and whether to create a separate fund for projects to close the technology gap between rich and poor nations. In lieu of getting his proposed Digital Solidarity Fund, Senegal President Abdoulaye Wade had to settle for a study. Still, Wade said he was leaving with more than he came with: His advocacy got the attention of Western leaders who are largely opposed to the idea, and Geneva and Lyon, France, have pledged money already. The fund now has more than $1 million.